Balamani Amma's 113th Birthday: Google Doodle pays tribute to famous Indian poet, also known as grandmother of Malayalam literature

Balamani Amma's 113th Birthday: Google on Tuesday (July 19, 2022) celebrated the 113th birthday of Balamani Amma, a famous Indian poet who was known as the grandmother of Malayalam literature, with a special Doodle. Balamani Amma was born on July 19 in 1909 in Nalapat, her ancestral home in Kerala's Punnayurkulam. She was a recipient of numerous awards for her poetry including Padma Vibhushan - the second-highest civilian award in India and the Saraswati Samman - the nation's most esteemed literary award. Amma published more than 20 anthologies of poetry, prose, and translations. 

Paying tribute to Balamani Amma with a special Doodle illustrated by Kerala-based artist Devika Ramachandran, Google said that she never received any formal training or education, but was instead schooled at home by her uncle Nalappat Narayana Menon, who was also a popular Malayali poet. 

Balamani Amma married VM Nair, managing director of Mathrubhumi

At the age of 19, Balamani Amma married VM Nair, the managing director and managing editor of the famous Malayalam newspaper Mathrubhumi. In 1930, she published her first poem titled Kooppukai.

Her first recognition as a gifted poet came from the former ruler of the Kingdom of Cochin, Parikshith Thampuran, who awarded her with the Sahithya Nipuna Puraskaram.

Today’s #GoogleDoodle celebrates the 113th birthday of Balamani Amma, an Indian poet who received India’s highest literary award without any formal training.

Learn more about the grandmother of Malayalam literature here → https://t.co/0aF36wjZ8k pic.twitter.com/TbprKZjVZr

— Google Doodles (@GoogleDoodles) July 18, 2022

Balamani Amma's poems

Balamani Amma was an avid reader of Indian mythology and her poetry tended to put a spin on the traditional understanding of women characters. Her early poems glorified motherhood in a new light, which is why she was then known as the “poetess of motherhood”.

Balamani Amma's poems describing her love for children and grandchildren earned her the titles of Amma (Mother) and Muthassi (Grandmother) of Malayalam poetry. 

Her most famous works include Amma (1934), Muthassi (1962), and Mazhuvinte Katha (1966).

She was also the mother of Kamala Das, who was nominated for the Nobel Prize in literature in 1984. 

Amma passed away on December 29, 2004, in Kochi.